SVRR 720

Lon,

SVRR 720 was originally built in 1957 as #20 for the Chiriqui Land Company owned by United Fruit Company, better known by their brand name "Chiquita". The same order included the #19, and a third engine was built at the same time for a Cuban customer. These were the last 50/52/54 tons built.

#19 and #20 were first assigned to CLC's Southern Division in Panama that moved bananas for export on the Pacific coast. They joined the #18, which had been ordered immediately prior to and built with IRCA #700-706 though there was some difference in specification. United Fruit renumbered many of their engines depending upon the division they were assigned, with 18-20 being renumbered 718-720. When the Southern Division was closed, most of the engines were presumably scrapped.

For some reason (perhaps a recent rebuild), the 720 was saved by United Fruit and transferred to the Northern Division which shipped from the Caribbean/Gulf/Atlantic. The lines were not connected, so 720 would have traveled overland by truck or by ship through the Panama Canal. United Fruit renamed the operation the Bocas Fruit Company, and 720 was the last known operable 50 ton on the line before being purchased by SVRR.

The two 50 tons sold to Bandegua were from the first order of 50 tons, and came from the CLC Northern Division to Guatemala by 1968?

Kinda of like the "Six degrees of separation" game. SVRR 720 had nothing directly to do with IRCA or Guatemala, but it is connected indirectly several different ways.

Dan